ARENAC COUNTY â€” Damage from high winds that accompanied a thunderstorm Monday, May 20 was largely relegated to the western side of Arenac County, according to the National Weather Service.

Much of the damage reported by law enforcement to the NWS was about trees that had been blown over by powerful gusts of wind, according to NWS Meteorologist Mike Boguth. There were a couple reports of structural damage, however.

â€śBasically, Arenac experienced mainly a high-wind event as (the storm) went through there,â€ť Boguth said. â€śI know there was quite a lot of wind damage in Gladwin County, especially in Beaverton, where a half-mile area suffered significant tree damage.â€ť

A house in Standish had its roof badly damaged from the winds at approximately 4:57 p.m., Boguth said, while reports of trees coming down primarily in Sterling and Twining came in at approximately 4:53 p.m. and 5:05 p.m., respectively. Boguth said Bay County reported a barn blowing apart in Rhodes around 5:52 p.m., but that was the only report received from its emergency response unit.

NWS Meteorologist Justin Arnott told the Independent May 21 that damage in Arenac County was likely caused by straight-line winds â€” the powerful downward gusts that accompany thunderstorms â€” and not by a tornado.

The Arenac County Sheriffâ€™s Department was not dispatched to handle any storm-related emergencies. However, the Bay County Road Commission was called out to clear debris in the roads in the Northern Bay County area.